The Fourth Earth Body: The Mental Body

The mental body has an electric quality. It is fast to obey commands and to hold concepts, beliefs, memories, ideas and thoughts. It also holds your power of discrimination (in truth or in judgments).

This body has a relationship with the 6^th chakra, your seat of projection, intuition and command. The mind has the essential quality to be faster than time and space, as it transcends both. Mind seeks to be directed and to be given a purpose.

The Third Earth Body: Your Emotional Body

The emotional body has a plasmic texture (plasma is a state of matter. Here, it is a gelatinous or gas-like body). It has a strong ability to fluctuate and gives passion and intensity.

This body is located between 2 and 4 inches from your physical body. It is connected with your third chakra, and the water element. It is also connected to the palette of your nine emotions.

The Second Earth Body: The Etheric Body

Your etheric body is a magnetic force surrounding your physical body.

This body has a sense of your personal identity (me). It supports your interactions with other people and your environment.

The etheric body starts at your skin and ends 2 inches from your physical body. It is connected to the second chakra.

The First Earth Body: Your Physical Body

The 4 earth bodies– the physical, etheric, emotional and mental bodies –  are dedicated to self-expression, creative powers, the management of matter and your relationship with density. These bodies are called “Earth bodies” simply because they are given to you to manifest your potential on Earth.

Some parts of the earth body can be seen and touched. Other parts of the earth bodies are more subtle, like thoughts, chakras and the central channel.

The Structure of Being

Representation of earth bodies

By knowing the structure of your being, you may understand better the impact of food in your well being. It is the intention of this book to give you a spiritual foundation and an inspiration for the earth bodies. The interaction of the elements in your earth bodies and the quality of food, relationship, mind dynamics and emotional stability will determinate the lightness in your daily life.

Your being is composed of 12 bodies. Each body has a distinct role and structure. Harmony in these bodies brings peace and completion.

Almond Cookies

 

Healthy and sattvic are the two words that come to me when we refer to almonds. The texture, purity, and nutritional value of these cookies are suitable for all doshas.

Almonds hold large amounts of manganese and vitamin E. They are powerful antioxidants. The copper content helps in the development of bone and improves nerve functioning. Almonds are good for proper brain development because of their tryptophan content. Vitamin B is good for healthy hair, skin, and nails.

Almonds are also excellent for relieving stress and controlling mood swings.

Makes:  20 - 25 small cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup ground raw almonds

¼ cup         maple syrup

⅛ - ¼ tsp freshly ground cardamom

2 tsp rose water

Preheat the oven to 300 F.  Grind all ingredients together in a blender or food processor. Drop the batter in half-teaspoonfuls onto a well-oiled cookie sheet.  They will spread a bit.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Let them cool for just a couple of minutes, then remove carefully with a spatula to cool on a plate or wooden board.

Note: Depending on the oven (gas vs electrical), they can take longer to cook (35-40 minutes).

Fresh Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers are usually cooling, making them ideal for the Pitta constitution and hot summer. However, by adjusting the spices, this recipe can still be savored by Vatas and Kaphas. 

Being 95% water, cucumbers hydrate the body, regulate the body's temperature, and flush toxins out of the body. The potassium content of cucumbers helps regulate the blood pressure. They also have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits. Cucumbers are a valuable source of conventional antioxidant nutrients including Vitamin C, Beta-Carotene, and manganese. They also hold numerous flavonoid antioxidants. 

Makes:  2 Servings

5 minutes

Ingredients:

½         large organic cucumber, grated (with peel)

1 tsp grated ginger

½ tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp fresh chopped parsley

        Salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

For Vata: Add ½ tsp sesame oil.

For Pitta: Omit ginger. Replace with fresh dill.

For Kapha: Add chipotle peppers.

Columbian Arepas with Peppered Goat Cheese

Corn is drying in nature, and is therefore ideal for Kapha.

I love making this 8-minute recipe to impress my foreign friends. The patties are traditionally eaten for breakfast, but make a delightful accompaniment to vegetables and soups.

Serves 2

!0 minutes

Bananas in Tropical Dressing

Bananas are mucous forming and coconut is cooling in nature, therefore this scrumptious dessert is not ideal for Kapha, though is very soothing to Vatta.

This is a lovely breakfast in the winter time. 

Serves 2

10 minutes

HALVAH BALLS

Sesame: either in the form of a cream (tahini) or by itself is one of the super foods.  It is rich in iron, protein and zinc making the tiny seed an indispensable supplement for vegetarians.  I have heard that one teaspoon of sesame paste is the equivalent of 100 grams of beef in terms of protein content.  Enjoy this classic dessert of the Bioenergetics Institute.
from Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners, Amadea Morningstar

Sun flower seeds with spices

15 minutes
Treats and snacks can not be more simple that to roast for a couple of minutes seeds.Sunflower seeds roasted with spices and ghee is nutritious and appropiated for all doshas. . It's really simple and can be combined with salads, rice, or vegetables. ... and so yummy and delicious. For vatta you can add other type of seeds that had being resting in water for a couple of hours.

6 taste salad

This delicious, satiating salad incorporates all 6 tastes of Ayurveda. This dish is lovely served with fresh basmati rice with mustard seeds. Friendly to all three doshas.

The paste can also be used as a salad dressing.

The chlorophyll in the celery aids digestion and gives fiber to the colon to support healthy elimination. Celery contains a lot of water, supporting Vatta and giving Pitta a break from heavy oils. The pumpkin seeds are excellent for parasites. 

Serves 4 people

15 minutes

kale chips

Kale is rich in vitamin A, K, and C, but that do not make kale the super food that is. Kale is also the green to enrich the minerals in your blood. It contains Magnesium, Calcium, phosphorous, Potassium, zinc, and iron.
Minerals are good for all of us, but specailly to our air constitutions;Vatta,
Eat kale cooked, boiled or just as a snack in a form of chips.

Sweet Potatoes in Cranberry Sauce

the best food for kidneys

 2 servings

This Vatta-reducing dish nourishes the colon and the kidneys. It helps to neutralize acidity in the body and comforts your craving for sweets. The nourishing aspect of the dates provides a fortifying food for the women`s reproductive system.

SELF TEST TO KNOW YOUR GUNA

The purpose of this test is not to evoke within your mind that there is something wrong with you. It will simply locate the type of food that you need to apply in your diet to achieve balance.

The 3 qualities of earth bodies

There are 3 natural forces that move, sustain and bind the entire creation. These 3 forces are qualities that the 5 elements take in the process of manifesting and binding matter.

These qualities are intrinsically acting all the time in all organic and inorganic matter. These qualities give character, flavor and foundation to the earth bodies (physical, etheric, emotional and mental.)

Thai mango salad

Vatta increasing, Pitta increasing in excess, kpha reducing.

20 minutes 4 people

Our salad repertoire is not complete with a thai green mango salad. It is great summer addition to rice and stews. This recipe can take a twist for each dosha depending on the sour or sweet preferance.

Avocado and Parsnip Salad

Vatta reducing

Pitta increasing in excess

Kapha increasing

For 2 people

I enjoy doing this 10-minute fresh salad at the end of the fall. The parsnips are collected from the garden after the first frost so they are tender and sweet. The parsley is at the peak of its flavor and the avocados are surely a creamy and comforting addition.

Mango and blue berry stew

Vatta reducing

Pitta increasing in excess

Kapha reducing

10 minutes, 2 people

There is nothing more comforting than stew in the fall and winter. I favorite the stew as a breakfast or as a warm fruit snack. It is also a good base for a warm smoothie.

Monodiet therapy

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Mono( one)diet( for a period of time) is a term that may scare your ego, simply because for the ego, it may imply discipline, determination and detachment. On the other hand it is very self-empowering  simply because it provides a direction to apply your will power.